1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a connection assembly for connecting an electric system of a vehicle to electric components of a sliding door of the vehicle.
Vehicles are known featuring sliding doors, i.e. doors connected at the top and bottom by articulated arms to respective carriages running inside respective longitudinal rails fixed to the door frame.
Doors of this sort are opened in a compound movement comprising rotation outwards of the vehicle to detach the door from the frame, and translation along the rails in a direction parallel to the traveling direction of the vehicle.
Such an opening movement poses problems in connecting the electric components on the sliding door to the vehicle electric system, on account of the distance between the electric connecting points on the vehicle body and the corresponding electric connecting points on the door varying when opening and closing the door.
2. Brief Description of Related Developments
At present, the above connection is made in two ways:
A first employs male electric contacts on the door; and female electric contacts on the door frame, which mate with the male electric contacts when the door is closed. This solution has various drawbacks. In particular, when the door is open, the electric components on the door are disconnected from the vehicle electric system and therefor cannot be activated. Moreover, repeated connection/disconnection of the contacts eventually results in wear of the contacts and therefore in unreliability or failure of the relative electric connection. And finally, such a solution is user-hazardous, by parts of the user""s body possibly being interposed accidentally between, and so connecting, the male and female contacts when the door is open.
The second way is to employ conducting tracks fixed to the vehicle body; and brush contacts fitted to the door and cooperating with the tracks, so that the electric system of the vehicle is connected to the electric components on the door in any operating position of the door. On account of the way it operates, however, a sliding connection of this sort is exposed to external agents, such as dust, which may cause microinterruptions of the electric signals.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a connection assembly for connecting an electric system of a vehicle to electric components of a sliding door of the vehicle, designed to eliminate, in a straightforward, reliable manner, the aforementioned drawbacks typically associated with known connection assemblies.
According to the present invention, there is provided a connection assembly for connecting an electric system of a vehicle to at least one electric component of a sliding door of the vehicle; said door being connected by at least one articulated arm to a carriage running along a relative longitudinal rail integral with the body of said vehicle; and said connection assembly being characterized by comprising:
at least one flexible flat cable having a number of side by side conducting tracks, a first end connected to said electric component of said door, and a second end connected to the electric system of the vehicle;
guide means of variable configuration, for guiding a first portion of said cable along said articulated arm, and for adapting the configuration of said first portion to movements of the articulated arm; and
housing means for neatly gathering and dispensing a second portion of said cable as said carriage moves along said rail.